Kotognogontala Group

Most of them married in traditional families and averaging 41 years of age and four children each, the five women of the group SABOUGNOUMA all live in the Bougoula Hameau district in Sikasso City (3rd administrative region of the Republic of Mali). The women know one another through ties of kinship and community and through their professional work. They sell soap, utensils, and rice, and they make and sell 'soumbala' (fermented seeds or beans used in cooking).

With the goal of increasing their business capital, the group members joined the microfinance institution Soro Yiriwaso and are now on their 11th solidarity loan cycle.

Ms. AWA, who is standing third from the right in the photo, intends to use her loan to purchase kitchen utensils, which may include about 20 plastic cups, 35 aluminum ladles, and some plates with what is left. She gets her supplies in Sikasso and in Bougoula and then makes her sales to men and women customers.

With this loan, Ms. AWA plans making an average monthly profit of 50,000 francs CFA that will be used for reinvesting in her business and meeting certain household needs.

Additional Information

Important Information

Soro Yiriwaso is a microfinance institution that works primarily in rural and semi-urban areas of Mali to provide underprivileged communities with access to financial services.The organization facilitates access for disadvantaged clients, particularly women, to new resources and services, fostering solidarity and cooperation among its clients. Kiva lenders’ funds will enable Soro Yiriwaso to expand its outreach and target even more underserved Malians involved in business and agriculture.

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.